Knitting-machine needle



June 24,1930. v. LOMBARD! 1,767,595

KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE Filed Aug. 26, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 50.2. 5&3.

INVENTOR Vincent Lombnlt A TORNEY June 24, 1930. v, LOMBARDI KNITTING MACHINE NEEDLE Filed Aug. 26, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 flwumtoz Zak/UM (LWJMA' 351 @biiomur Patented June 24, 1930 OFFICE VINCENT LOMBARDI, OF BROOKLYN, NEW-YORK KNITTING-MACHINE NEEDLE Application filed. August 26, 1927. Serial No. 215,565.

This invention relates to knitting machine needles and is a division in part of my U. S. patent applications Serial No. 724,510, filed July 5, 1924, on Knitting machines (issued November 22, 1927, as Patent No. 1,650,083), and Serial No. 37 ,076 filed June 15, 1925.

An object of this invention is to provide a needle for knitting machines having improved characteristics with respect to controlling operations exercised thereon or exercised by it in the knitting of a fabric. A subsidiary object is to provide a needle of such characteristics that the sinkers associated therewith may be actuated by the actuation of the needle. Another object is to incorporate in the needle means for. :enabling the stitch to be transferred from one type of needle to another type as in a machine employing both cylinder and dial needles. An additional object is to provide means for enabling a needle to be actuated by rotatable cams, pattern wheels or the like. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

These objects may be accomplished in the following manner in accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention. The control .of the sinkers by the needles may be secured by providing a rounded enlargemenu on the shank of each needle below the needle latch and opposite the side of the needle on which the latch opens. The transfer of the stitch from one type of needle to another may be accomplished by a shoulder on the needle below the needle latch and on the same side of the shank on which the latch opens. The selective control of the needle by a pattern wheel may be accomplished by providing an enlarged portion near the lower end of the needle with a projection from said portion extending away from the shank on the same side of the shank employed in the transfer of the stitch from one type of needle to another type;

Fig. 2 illustrates a needle which ma be controlled by a pattern wheel and w ich may also be used to control the sinkers;

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 except that the sinker controlling means has been removed;

Fig. 4: is a needle combining the features of Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 5 is a modification of the type of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view through a circular knitting machine illustrating a use of a needle, such as shown in Fig. 2;

Figs. 6 6 and 6 are fragmentary views similar to the upper portion of Fig. 6, and illustrating different needle and sinkerpositions; and

Fig. 7 is a somewhat diagrammatic view illustrating a use of needles, such as shown in Fig. 1.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, a knitting machine needle is disclosed havin the usual latch 7 and a shank portion 6. g short distance below the latch the shank is substantially increased in width to provide a shoulder 8 of suitable size. Such a shoulder, as described in my prior. application Serial No. 724,510, filed July 5, 192&, may be advantageously employed for the accomplishment of an object frequently desired, namely the transfer of the stitch from a cylinder needle to a dial needle or vice versa, the yarn passing down the shank of a cylinder needle, rest on this shoulder 8 and enable the associated dial needle to hook the yarn whereby the'stitch is transferred from the cylinder needles to the dial needles The usual needle but 9 is shown by means of which the needle may be advanced or retracted by rotatable cams.

Fig. 2 illustrates how a, knitting needle may be modified to exert control on the sinkers of the machine and also to be selectively controlled by a pattern wheel. On the side of the needle shank 10' opposite the latch 7 is a rounded cam surface or projection 11 which is so positioned on the- V shank that when the needle is used as acylinder needle, and is being raised by its cams, the projection 11 coming in contact with the sinker will cause the sinker to be moved inwardly towards the center of the machine as is described in my pending application Serial No. 37,076 filed June 15,

The amount the sinker is moved deends of course upon the size of the projection 11. This shoulder 11 is preferably smoothly rounded on both its upper and lower faces.

Farther down on the shank of the needle of Fig. 2 is a double projection on the same side as the latch 7. The main part 13 has a width several times the width of the needle shank while the upper portion comprises a butt 12 which projects out still farther. The manner in which such a needle is adapted to be used is set forth in my co- Y extended over the yarn surfaces 71 of the pending application Ser. No. 37,076, above referred to, and is exemplified in Figs. 6, 6, 6 and 6. In Fig. 6 a needle of this type is shown as'mount-ed in a slot in a needle cylinder 42, in the usual manner, for actuation by needle-operating members, including a pattern wheel 53 and a retracting cam 54, carried on a revolving cam ring 43. The pattern wheel is formed with slotted portions and with grooved portions in the usual manner, and the exemplified needle, as well as other needles throughout the machine, om

some of which the projecting butfi portion- 12 may be omitted, are adapted to be actuated by contact of a groove of a pattern wheel with the lower edge of the butt ortion 13, or to be passed by the pattern w eel by the reception of the butt portion.13 in a slot of the pattern wheel; the portion 13 acting in either event to rotate the pattern wheel. It is to be observed that the supple-,

mental butt portion 12, which extends out so far that it would be twisted if caught by the grooves or slots of the pattern wheel, projects beyond the butt portion 13.at a point sufficiently above the lower edge of the portion 13 so that it does not come in contact with the pattern wheel. ,A cam 54 is provided for retracting those of the needles having the supplemental butt portions 12.

Adjacent each needle there is provided a sinker 65 formed at its outer end with a projection 66 extending into a groove 67 formed in a sinker guide 68 on the cam ring, the groove being formed with a suitable cam surface for causing the usual sinker. movements. In order to control the tightness of certain strands of the yarn being knitted, as, for example,ithe tightness of the interlocked strands formed by a knitting operation, such as described in my said application Ser.- No. 37,076, each sinker is formed with an upper'yarn-receiving surface 71' and a lower yarn-receiving surface 72. Accordingly, in order to move the sinkers after the advancement of a needle by the pattern I shown in Fig. 6. Thus, except when the needles have been fully raised, the yarn received thereby will be drawn over the yarn-receiving surface 72 on the sinkers upon the retraction of the needles (Fig. 6)

whereas, after the needles have been fully.

raised foriknitting loops, the yarn will be sinkers upon the retraction of the needles (Fig. 6 thereby causing the loops to be formed more loosely than the unlooped portions which are formed when the needles are raised only to the position shown in Fig. 6.

As will be seen from the foregoing, the various projections of the needle shank, shown in Figs..2 and 6, cooperate in the formation of fabric such as referred to; and the exemplified arrangement provides an improved structure by means of which complex patterns may be readily knitted by the needles.

Fig. 3 is similar to Fig. 2 except that the sinker operating means has been omitted from the shank 14 of the needle. The main butt portion and the supplemental butt portion are indicated respectively'at 16 and 15.

Fig. features of the needles of Figs. 1 and 2. A shoulder 18 on the shank 19 corresponds to the shoulder 8 of Fig. 1. A projection 17 corresponds to element 11 of Fig. 2. Parts sol 4 discloses a needle combining the i 2 except that the butt 12 of the needle 10 is not present on needle 23 although the needle 23 has a sinker controlling shoulder 22. A needle of this type may be interspersed with needles, such asshown in Fig. 2, for pattern wheel operation and may also be employed in the formation of fabrics wherein such supplemental needle' actuation as caused by the cam 54 is not required.

Fig. 7 illustrates a cylinder and dial knitting machine, wherein there are employed needles havin .shoulders such as the shoulders 8. A pair of needles 169 are shown in use this figure in advanced position with the yarn 2 carried on the shoulders 8 so as to permit a needle 172 to be moved between this yarn and the yarn 1.

It is of course to be understood that this invention is not. limited to the particular forms described above as this invention may possess Widely different embodiments without departing in any: wise from the spirit of this invention as defined in the appended claims. It may for example be embodied in other types of needles than the latched needles disclosed, such as spring needles for example.

The invention claimed is: v

1. A knitting machine needle, comprising a straight shank having a uniform thickness throughout, a yarn-receiving member at the end of the shank, said shank being widened throughout its central portion, the widened portion terminating at'a point a short distance from said yarn-receiving member to provide a shoulder whereby a yarn may be advanced sufficiently to one side of the body of a fabric being knitted to permit the advancement of a transverse needle between the yarn and the body of the fabric.

2; A knitting machine needle, comprising a straight shank having'a uniform thickness 1 throughout, a yarn-receiving member at the end of the shank, said shankvbeing widened at a point a short distance from said yarnreceiving member to provide a shoulder whereby a yarn may be advanced sufficiently to one side of the body of a fabric being knitted to permit the advancement of a transverse needle between the yarn and the body of the fabric, a butt portion adapted to be operated on by and to cause the rotation of a pattern wheel, and a supplemental butt portion projecting from the aforesaid butt portion and adapted to be acted on by a selective cam but not by the pattern wheel, said shank having a straightline front surface between said shoulder and the nearest of said butt portions.

3. A knitting machine needle, comprising a shank, a yarn-receiving member at the end of said shank, a butt portion extending forwardly of said shank, said shank being widened at a point a short distance from said yarn-receiving member to provide a shoulder whereby yarnmay be advanced 1 sufficiently to one side of the bod of a fabric being knitted to permit the a vancement of a transverse needle between the yarn and the body of the fabric, the front surface of said shank continuing in a straight line from said shoulder to said butt portion.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 24th day of Aug, A. D. 1927.

VINCENT LOMBARDI. 

